Interview - Kyle Newman

By Sean Lynch
Interview with Kyle Newman
Director of Fanboys

It's one of the most talked about movies in film history - yet, for all the wrong reasons.

With a history involving Internet script leaks, studio bust ups, a change in director, release date delays of up to three years, plus a war declared on the Weinsteins by an army of devoted nerds - it's amazing to think that somehow an amazingly funny flick is still the end result.

Web Wombat Movies comedy nerd, Sean Lynch, caught up with "Fanboys" director, Kyle Newman, ahead of the long awaited Australian premiere of the "Star Wars" themed comedy at Melbourne's ACMI cinemas.

Kyle, it's been a long time coming - but Australia is finally getting to see Fanboys...

It's a such great feeling to finally have the film hit screens!  It's been quite a battle but one well worth it.

So how much of the final film remains your original vision?
 
The major thrust of the story remains intact but there were a few sacrifices made to get the original storyline reinstated.  Fanboys : Interview : Kyle Newman : Star Wars : Latest

Just take the the opening crawl [for example], that should have ended with "little did they know their paths were about to cross again...", but it now continues on to talk about aliens and iPhones. 

That was really a studio thing. 

Same with the "You are very, very high" gag by the campfire.

There was a really nice scene between Trejo and Marquette there that was one of my favourites, but I had to suck it up and make certain changes to restore the heart of the film. 

After agreeing to give the film back, they gave me 36 hours to re-cut the entire thing. And that was from their version! 

But I wasn't about to say no. Like everything else with this film, I made the best of bad situation. So no scene feels complete.

There are so many great character / comedy moments on the cutting room floor. We also were strangled with a 90 minute run time so a great many subplot nuances and details had to be arbitrarily scrapped. 

But overall I am extremely pleased with the film despite its flaws. Our team  (cast, producers, writers, etc) stuck together and saw it through for many years.

I'm proud of Fanboys.

Does it annoy you that there was so much political stuff that marred your experience - knowing what you know now, would you have still agreed to make the film when it first popped up?
 
Of course! 

Just like the theme of the film, it's the journey not the destination that counts.  It's about the friendships we make. I forged so many amazing relationships on this project, I even met my wife!

And to get to work with Lucasfilm was a dream come true. They are such a classy company.  I am in awe of what George Lucas has manifested. 

What is it about Star Wars that seems to have resonated over the decades?

Star Wars is eternal. It was a zeitgeist film that popped up at just the right time and tapped into the public consciousness - as if the world and the film industry NEEDED Star Wars.

At it's core it's the spiritual, thematic elements that have turned Star Wars into a phenomenon.

Is there any other Pop-Culture phenomenon that you think could have driven a comedy like Fanboys with such force... I expect there isn't a "Fanboys  : Teen Wolf Too" sequel around the corner?
 
Harry Potter definately comes close, but Star Wars was groundbreaking both creatively and technically.  It's the rarest breed of film.

Fanboys plays out very much like Detroit Rock City at times (in a good way) - did you try to embrace the similarities or try to distance yourself from it (especially with Sam Huntington in the cast)?
 
I never saw Detroit Rock City until years after Fanboys was in the can. It's a solid, passionate, fun film but it had no effect on Fanboys from my perspective. 

Maybe I avoided seeing it because of the obvious comparisons.

Sideways was more of an inspiration to me during the making of Fanboys. That film was so rooted in something - the love of wine - that it allowed them to use the vernacular to comment on something greater.

I wanted Fanboys to be specific on one level, and have the passion behind the dialogue be what made it universal. You don't have to understand what they are saying to see how much it means to them.
 
There are so many cameos throughout the movies (Seth Rogen, Billy Dee Williams, Kevin Smith) - were there any favourites?

It's hard to pick a favourite with so many Star Wars / Science Fiction luminaries in the cast. We were blessed with some tremendous cameos but that was a testament to the quality of the script.

I must say though, meeting Carrie Fisher was quite incredible.  

Fanboys is a movie which was born via the Internet, you seem pretty keen on the ol' Twitter these days too, how important is social, fan and net interaction when it comes to promoting movies these days?
 
The Internet was a curse and a blessing. Ultimately it saved the film, but there were dark days when the film was out of our control and so many rumours were being spread. 

"The Darth Weinstein" campaign was tremendously scary at first. I was just sitting there on the sidelines watching all of it go down. I was glad the fans had a positive say in the outcome, but I was just a bystander with a lot on the line. They were tense times.

I wanted, and needed, the film to come out and do well - so seeing all of the rumours online were unsettling. It felt like overnight our grassroots fanbase was wavering because of a few silly emails. 

I tried to remain positive on the sidelines, waiting and hoping that the film would come back to the core team. I went to all of the test screenings and contributed even when it wasn't my cut. I wanted the film to succeed no matter what version it was. 

Fortunately, the one the world gets to see is very close to what we set out to make - despite all of our budgetary limitations.

There are quite a few projects floating around your name at the moment (Fanboys 2, Emo Boy, Revenge Of The Nerds) which are going ahead and which are rumours?

War Monkeys, Emo Boy, Heard It On The X (an unconventional Wolfman Jack bio starring Dan Fogler), Lover In The Sun (a Bardot biopic) and an - as yet untitled - video game comedy are all cooking.

You are doing a special Q &A session at ACMI in Melbourne. How are your skills with handling the Aussie accent - or is "Star Wars talk" a universal language?
 
Haha. I've got a lot of Australian pals so I am very familiar with the accent. Even though I have never been, I love Australia. I've actually never met an Aussie I didn't like!

In regards to Star Wars - it is both universal and eternal. It's a modern myth that will be passed on for generations. It's the story of good versus evil. Belief in yourself and your friend... Who doesn't speak that language?!

Before we go - we like to ask everyone this - but the Internet is responsible for spreading rumours both good and bad. What "Richard Gere Gerbil" style myth do you want to start about Kyle Newman right here on Web Wombat Movies?
 
I have been passionately pushing Lucasfilm to get involved in a Howard The Duck prequel.   

FANBOYS will screen for a limited run season from June 5 - June 21 (exclusive to ACMI in Victoria)